Guy wire slide



Nov. 21, 1933. R. B. HECOX ET AL GUY WIRE sum:

Filed April 18, '1930 INVENTOR5 Bad/veg 5 l/ecox Oscar BY 1? TTOBNEYS.

, .,high structures.

"enable workmen Patented Nov. 21 1933 v UNITE STATE GUY WIRE suns RodneyB. Heeox', Bakersfield, Turley, Taft, Calif.

and Oscar Application April s, 1930. Serial No. 445,292

I3 Claims.

This invention relates to a device known as an emergency slide for useon inclined guy wires extending to the ground from oil derricks or otherThese slides are employed to onthe structure who may be in danger fromfire or an explosion to escape by riding the slide down the guy wire orcable. As usually constructed these slides must be applied to the cableby passing the cable longitudinally through the slide. Slides of thiskind usually include means for exerting a braking force on the wire orcable as the slide descends on it, but such means sometimes jams and theuse of these slides sometimes causes injury to the workmen using them.The general object of this invention is to improve the generalconstruction of slides of this kind and to produce a slide of simpleconstruction which can be readily applied to the wire or cable withoutnecessitating sliding the carriage over the end of the cable; also toprovide a slide of this kind with simple means for insuring anapplication of effective braking force on the cable and for enabling thebraking ,force to be readily controlled by the rider who is riding theslide.

One of the objects of the invention is to improve the construction ofthe brake device and to provide a brake device on such a slide whichwill not jam and which will not injure the cable.

Further objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel parts and combinations of parts tobe described herein- I after, all of. which contribute to produce anefficient guy wire slide.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described in'the followingspecification, while the broad scope of the invention is pointed out inthe appended claims.

In the drawing: 1

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a slide embodying our invention, certainparts being broken away, and illustrating the same applied on aninclined guy wire or cable indicated as attached to an elevated point ona derrick or similar structure. a v V V Figure 2 is a cross-sectiontaken about on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, passing through the casing ofthe slide and showing the lever mechanism in elevation and partiallybroken away.

Figure 3 is a side elevation broken away an shownpartiallyin section,and illustrating the adjacent portion of the cable broken away. Thisview'illustrates a roller type of brake shoe for engaging the cable. 1 ra Before proceeding to a detailed description of the emergency slide, itshould be stated thatin practicing the invention the slide is preferablyconstructed with means whereby the weight of the rider supported on theslide applies the brake, and means is provided for enabling the force ofapplication of the brake to be regulated.

Another feaure of the invention is that means are provided for latchingthe brake in a position which will hold the slide fixed on the cable,and this feature is useful infacilitating the rider mounting himselfunder the slide without danger of its starting before he is ready.The-slide is also preferably constructed so as} to enable it to beapplied to the cable orwire by a lateral movement onto the wire.

Referring more particularly to the parts, 1 represents a carriage in theform of a casing which may be formed out of plate metal from a blank theupper portion of which is bent so as to form two side plates 2 and 3that are parallel with each other and the lower portion of which is bentaround to form a channel-shaped bottomseotion for the body with two sidewalls 4 and 5. In this way a longitudinal opening or slot 6 is formed inthe lower portion of the body, enabling it to be applied to a cable,such as the guy wire 7, by a lateral movement.

In the upper portion of the'carriage we provide means for guiding thecarriage on the cable. For this purpose we prefer to provide two rollers8 spaced apart and mounted between the two plates 2 and 3. These rollersare grooved to fit over the upper side of the cable. i

We provide brake means, preferably in the form. of a brake shoe 9pivotally mounted at 11 on the lower portion of the carriage and, inorder to prevent any possibility of this brake jamming on the cable, thepivot pin 11 is so placed that the shoe projects toward the higher endof the cable or wire, for example, toward'the right as illustrated inFigure 1.

Suitable means is provided for supportingthe rider on the slide and forcontrolling the brake. The rider-supporting means is. preferablysupported on the carriage in such a .way that the weight of theride'rapplies the brake. For this purpose the rider-supporting meanspreferably includes a brake lever. 10 rigid with the brake 9, and hangermeans in the form of a shackle 12 attached at its upper end by a pivotedknuckle 13 to the lower end of the brake lever. The shackle 12 may havetheform indicated, the lower end being forged into a largewide stirrup14 inwhich 2 the rider may sit or through which he may place one leg.

The construction provides means for enabling the rider to shift hisweight with relation to the carriage so as to regulate the force ofapplication of the brake. For this purpose we provide the carriage withan outwardly projecting rigid arm 15 on which a hand lever 16 ispivotally mounted, said lever being preferably in the form of abellcrank lever with a short arm 17 that is connected by suitable meanswith the arm of the brake lever 10. This means is preferably in the formof a link 18 having adjusting means 19 for enabling its length to beregulated.

The hand lever 16 may be latched in an ex-v treme position such as thatin which it is illustrated in full lines in Figure 1. This will hold thebrake shoe 9 in a position to put an extremely large bend or kink in thecable between the rollers 8 and will hold the slide against movementdown the wire. The lever may be held in this position by a link 20 thatis carriedon the lower end of the fixed arm 15 and retained there by astout bail or handle 21.

The brake shoe 9 may have a facing 9a of material particularly adaptedfor this purpose,

The guiding means, for example, the rollers 8, are located in the casingso that, when the carriage is supported on the cable, the cable will be1 located above and out of line with the slot 6. In

this way there is no danger of the carriage becoming accidentallydislocated from the wire. When the brake is in its extreme position,indicated by the lines at 91), the slot 6 is leftvclear to permit thecarriage to be slipped over the cable. If desired, instead of employinga brake shoe of the type illustrated in Figure 1, we may provide aroller 22 for thispurpose (see Figure 3). In other respects theconstruction would be substantially the same as that already described.

In order to facilitate the carrying of the slide it may be provided onits upper edge with a stout bail or handle 23 and, if desired, the sideface of the plate} may be provided'with a hand-hold 24.

In practice the slide should be held at the upper end of the guy wirenear the eye-bolt 25 that connects it to the side 26 ofa derrick orother structure.

When using-the slide to escape, the workman gets into the supportingmeans 12 and as soon as he is ready to start the slide he pulls thelever 16 toward him. This will release the link 20, which will drop downto the position in which it is indicated in dotted lines. The rider onthe slide then maintains hold on the hand lever 16 but permits itto movetoward the derrick slighte ly, which movement reduces the braking forceand in this way the rider can permit himself to descend on the wire. Ifhis speed of descent 3 becomes dangerously high, he can check it more orless by pulling the lever 16 over toward the fixed arm 15.

It is understood that the embodiment of thev invention described hereinis only one of the many embodiments this invention may take, and

we do not wish to be limited in the practice of the invention, nor inthe claims, to the par-- ticular embodiment set forth.

What we claim is: 1.,In an emergency slide for use in'descending aninclined cable, the combination of a carriage having means for guidingthe cable'longitudinallythrough the carriage as .the carriage movesalong the cable, said carriage having an opening in its side enablingthe carriage to be applied to the cable by a lateral movement, saidguiding means operating to hold the cable out of line with said openingafter the carriage has been applied to the cable, rider supporting meansmovably supported on the carriage, braking means for engaging the cableto reduce the acceleration of the carriage as it descends on the cable,and a connection between the rider supporting means and the brakingmeans enabling the weight of the rider to apply the braking means to thecable.

2. In an emergency slide for use in descending an inclined cable, thecombination of a carriage-having means for guiding the cablelongitudinally through the carriage as the carriage moves along thecable, said carriage having a side plate with a longitudinal slotthrough the same enabling the carriage to be applied to the cable by alateral movement, said guiding means consisting of a pair of rollersrunning on the upper side of the cable and operating to hold the cableout of line with said opening after the carriage has been applied to thecable, rider supporting means supported on the carriage, and brakingmeans operatively connected with said rider supporting means forengagingthe cable to reduce the acceleration of the, carriage as it descends onthe cable.

3. In an emergency slide for use in descending an inclined cable, thecombination of a carriagehaving means for'guiding the cablelongitudinally through the carriage as the carriage moves along thecable, said carriage having a side-plate with a longitudinal slotthrough the same enabling the carriage to be applied to the cable by alateral movement, said guiding means consisting of a pair of rollersrunning on the upper side of the cable and operating to hold the cableout of line with said opening after the carriage has been applied to thecable, supporting means for supporting a rider, and movable brakingmeans mounted on the carriage for engaging the cable to reduce theacceleration of the carriage as it descends on the cable, and connectedto the supporting means so that the weight of the rider holds thebraking means applied to the cable. I

4. In an emergency slide for use in descending an inclined cable,,thecombination of a carriage having means for guiding the cablelongitudinally through the carriage as the carriage moves along thecable, said carriage having an opening in its side enabling the carriageto be applied to the cable by a lateral movement, a brake with a lever,pivotally connected {with the carriage, rider-supporting means carriedby the brakei lever so that the weightof the rider applies the brake tothe cable, and means associated with the carriage enabling the rider tocontrol the braking force and thereby control the acceleration of thecarriage as it descends on the cable.

5. In an emergency slide for use in descending an inclined cable, thecombination of a carriage having means for guiding the cablelongitudinally through the carriage as the carriage moves along thecable, rider-supporting means movably supported on the. carriage, abrake connected with the rider-supporting .means so that the weight ofthe rider applies-the brake to the cable,

and means associated with the carriage enabling an inclined cable, thecombination of a carriage having means for guiding the cablelongitudinally through the carriage as the carriage moves along thecable, rider-supporting means supported on the carriage, and including abrake lever pivotally mounted on the carriage and having a brake shoewith a curved side face for engaging the cable, said lever projectingfrom its pivot on the carriage toward the more elevated end of theinclined cable.

7. In an emergency slide for use in descending an inclined cable, thecombination of a carriage having means for guiding the cablelongitudinally through the carriage as the carriage moves along thecable, a brake lever pivotally mounted on the carriage and having abrake shoe for engaging the cable and projecting from the pivot of thebrake lever toward the more elevated end of the inclined cable, and ariders shackle movably attached to the brake lever at a point thatenables the force exerted by the weight of the rider at the point ofsupport for the shackle to apply the brake to the cable.

8. In an emergency slide for use in descending an inclined cable, thecombination of a carriage having means for guiding the cablelongitudinally through the carriage as the carriage moves along thecable, a brake lever pivotally mounted on the carriage and having abrake shoe with a curved side face for engaging the cable, said leverprojecting from its pivot toward the more elevated end of the inclinedcable, hanger means constituting a seat. for the rider attached to thebrake lever at a point that enables the force exerted by the weight ofthe rider at the point of support for the hanger means to apply thebrake to the cable, and means associated with the carriage enabling therider to shift the rider supporting means relative to the carriage andthereby control thebraking force applied to the cable.

9. In an emergency slide for use in descending an inclined cable, thecombination of a carriage having means for guiding thecablelongitudinally through the carriage as the carriage moves along thecable, rider-supporting means pivotally supported on the carriage, anarm rigidly connected with the carriage, and located adjacent the ridersupporting means, so that it can be seized by the rider to swing therider supporting means on its pivot and thereby shift the weight of therider, a brake operatively. connected with the rider supporting means,for engaging the side of the cable, and a hand lever within reach of therider connected to the rider supporting means for controlling theapplication of the brake to the cable.

10. In an emergency slide for use in descending an inclined cable,the'combination of a carriage having means for guiding the cablelongitudinally through the carriage as the carriage moves along thecable, rider-supporting means including an arm pivotally supported onthe carriage, an arm rigidly connected with the carriage, a brakeconhand lever to the rigid arm to hold the ridersupporting means and thebrake in an extrem position, preventing the carriage from descending onthe cable.

11. In an emergency slide for use in descending an inclined cable, thecombination of a carriage having means for guiding the cablelongitudinally through the carriage as the carriage moves along thecable, said guiding means for the cable comprising two rollers mountedin the carriage and running on the upper side of the cable,ridersupporting means including an arm pivotally supported on thecarriage, a brake rigidly connected with said arm for engaging theunderside of the cable between the rollers, a rigid arm extendingdownwardly from the carriage and capable of being seized by the riderto'shift the position of the first-named arm on its pivot to'regulatethe braking effect, and a hand lever operatively connected with thefirst-named armand connected with the rigid arm.

12. In an emergency slide for use in descending aninclined cable, thecombination ofa carriage having means for guiding the cablelongitudinally through the carriage as the carriage moves along thecable, said guiding means for the cable comprising two rollers mountedin the carriage and running on the upper side of the cable,ridersupporting means in the form of an arm pivotally supported on thecarriage, a brake for engaging the underside of the cable between therollers connected with said arm, a rigid arm extending downwardly fromthe carriage and capable of being seized by the rider to shift theridersupporting means on its pivot and thereby regulate' the brakingeffect, a hand lever operably connected with the first-named arm andlying adjacent to the rigid arm, and a latch for latching the hand leverto the rigid arm to hold the first-named arm and the brake in an extremeposition to prevent movement of the carriage down the cable. i

13. In an emergency slide for use in descending an inclined cable, thecombination of a carriage having a pair of rollers for running onv theupper side of the cable, a rigid arm extending down from the carriage, abrake lever pivotally mount ed on the carriage and having means forengaging the under side of the cable, rider-supporting'means attached tothe brake lever, a hand lever pivotally mounted on the rigid arm withinreach of the rider, and means connecting the same with the brake leverfor controlling the latter. I

. RODNEY B. HECOX.

OSCAR R. TURLEY.

